


Testament

by OliverHowl



Category: unOrdinary (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-06-08 05:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15236379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OliverHowl/pseuds/OliverHowl
Summary: In this world, the strong flourished while the weak were trampled upon.It was a hierarchy set in stone.No one questioned it and obeyed.That is, until the book, unOrdinary was published and instilled the ideals of heroism and equality.It may have been banned, but the themes have remained.Those who were trampled by society have a voice, and they shall speak. They shall roar. They shall dismantle this twisted world.These four shall bring forth Revelation.I nor my co-writer on fanfiction.net own any of the characters or events in this story, minus the original characters. All rights belong to uru-chan.





	1. Tyrant no more

_In today's society, over 90% of the population possesses a unique ability. Some are capable of controlling flames. Some can command the wind. Some can read the minds of others. Some can bring buildings toppling down with but a mere touch of the hand._

_In today's society, the world is ruled by those with power. Those without power are mere Cripples, subjugated and trampled upon._

_In the eyes of society, they are weak._

_Such is the way of the world, and the view of society. Once, a man had challenged this authority with the publication of a book. A book in which told of a world of Cripples, and only a single man possessed power. Rather than use it for oppression or for greed, this man used his power for selfless reasons. Though he had died, he had brought smiles to the faces of everyone._

_This book was called, "unOrdinary."_

_Society rejected this useless notion, but the message this book brought was undeniable. Before long, there were individuals who used their powers to help people. Vigilantes, who followed the example of the character in the book and used their abilities for the sake of good._

_...however, this is not a story of heroes who seek to change the way of the world._

_This is a story of four people who seek to demolish the current hierarchy of society._

* * *

"AAAAAAH!"

They watched helplessly as their friend fell to the ground, clutching the stump where his arm used to be. There was no blood flowing from the stump, despite the arm lying not too far away from where he writhed on the ground. Fearfully, all eyes fell upon the approaching figure, who calmly stalked forward without a care in the world.

"What's wrong?" they challenged. "Aren't you going to come at me all at once? Like you do with everyone else you pick on, like the trash you are?" No one dared to move. The figure smiled wickedly beneath their mask as they held up their hand, proceeding to crack their finger. "In that case... I'll come for you."

In the following moments, a series of terrified screams filled the air.

* * *

_These four are those who were betrayed by the world. They are the ones who wish to challenge the status quo, and burn it to the ground._

* * *

"What-what's going on?!"

"I can't use my powers!"

"What's happening?! W-why do I feel so weak...?!"

Inside a tunnel that lay underneath a train overpass, several people were straining to call upon their respective powers. Their attempts failed to produce any result. Instead, they were growing more and more taxed. They could feel their strength being sapped away from them. The only exception was the person standing ahead of them, their arms crossed and a smirk plastered across their face.

"How does it feel, squirming on the ground like the people you torment?" they asked, voice cold like ice in contrast to their eyes, which burned like fire. "How does it feel to be powerless? How does it feel..." They took a step forward, and a cruel smile touched upon their face. "...to be Cripples?"

* * *

_They are the shunned. The damned. The unyielding._

_To society, they are known by many names._

* * *

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"What the hell are you doing, bro?!"

"Get out of my head! Get out get out!"

The parking lot had been reduced to chaos. People were attacking each other for no reason, lashing out madly at one another with their ability. Their shouts were panicked, laced with crazed mania as if haunted by some unknown force. In truth, their minds had become poisoned. Afflicted. They were like mindless puppets, acting upon the will of their maestro who watched the events unfold from atop their perch: a parked car, sitting atop the hood with an almost devilish grin, contrasting heavily with their angelic face.

"It never ceases to amaze me how I can make you guys go crazy." they noted, almost bored yet fascinated. "If I wanted to, I could make your brain forget how to work right. But, luckily for you, I'm in a good mood... So I'll just settle by watching you guys kick the crap out of each other.

* * *

_The Black Royals. The Strays. The Aces of Spade._

_But, they are known by their monikers, above all else..._

* * *

Alone, a single figure stood amidst several unconscious people, some beaten to high heaven and others bleeding. They weren't wounded so badly that they would die if they didn't receive medical attention. However, they had been on the receiving end of a brutal beatdown. It could hardly be considered a fight. As the clouds parted, the light from the moon shone down on the individual who stood alone, victorious and panting in their victory.

It was a young teen, perhaps 17-19 years of age, with messy black hair that stuck out all over the place, wearing a battered jacket and a black shirt with worn-out faded jeans and muddy sneakers. His golden eyes burned as black wisps flowed from his body, slowly decreasing in size before vanishing entirely. Shortly after, his eyes lost their shine. Blood was dribbling from the corner of his mouth, having taken a particularly nasty hit to the jaw.

Glaring down at his defeated opponents, the teen spat out a glob of blood before wiping away the dribble from his mouth. "Assholes..."

* * *

_Death._

_Famine._

_Conquest._

_War._

_They are the ones who challenge a world where only the strongest may rule._

_They, are the "Four Horsemen."_

* * *

 

EPISODE I:  
Tyrant No More

_chaos._

_that was the only word to describe it all, once everything was said and done. the fallen lied on the ground, completely beaten and broken._

_not a single person stood standing. they were all laid flat on the concrete, not moving an inch. despite having done this only moments ago, his focus was not on them. rather, he only stared straight ahead at the only other person left standing. her face was bruised, scuffled and marked with scrapes with her bangs overshadowing her eyes. he wasn't sure what he was feeling at this moment. his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. almost absent minded, he stretched out his hand, only to pull it away when he saw the burning look, hidden beneath her bangs. her lips moved, but he almost didn't hear her._

_he wished he didn't, as her words were laced with hate._

* * *

_***DING DING DONG DING* *DING DONG DONG DING*** _

"...!"

As the bell rung, John found himself open his eyes, finding himself inside a small room. Desks were neatly lined up symmetrically, and in each student was a different person, but wearing the same dark green blazer.  _'...crap. I must've fallen asleep during the lecture.'_  he thought tiredly as he raised his head, rubbing his eyes.

"That's all for today." the teacher announced with a droll. "For your assignments, refer to pages 123 through 149. Complete sentences. Understand?"

Groaning, John tilted his head in various angles as he stood up, getting rid of the cricks in his neck. He was glad the teacher hadn't noticed him sleeping, otherwise he'd be in trouble. Not that it mattered. Some of his classmates probably already noticed he was sleeping and would probably come to gang up on him when they got the chance. With that line of thought, John couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaving his classroom. Since it was second period, they were free to walk around for about half an hour before they were asked to go to their next class.

_'It's been about a year now since I enrolled at Wellston, and so far, things haven't changed in the slightest.'_  he thought with some dismay.  _'People still look at me like I'm trash, and everyone bullies each other.'_

That hadn't bothered him, honestly speaking. What really bothered him was the fact that the King of the school had done literally nothing to actually maintain some sense of order in the damn place. Even if he was like everyone else in the world and advocated strength, he should've at least taught these guys some sense. If they got too rowdy, it was the King's job to knock them back in line. He couldn't count the number he had seen students ganging up on others, just because they were low tier. He himself was on that receiving end. Unless the King was just that incompetent, or he just simply didn't care.

John thought it was the latter. Another thing that had bothered him immensely was that every Wednesday, barring his first day here, he had yet to get his hands on the Triple Chocolate Cake.

_'Today's Wednesday, isn't it?_ ' he thought with a groan, shoulders slumping.  _'Dammit. Lunch is gonna suck!'_

He had rarely attempted to go after the cake recently, mainly because he decided to try his luck based on his gut feeling and his own instincts. Sadly, the cafeteria was absolutely crazy whenever Wednesday rolled around. No matter who you were, Cripple or otherwise, you were bound to get punched, kicked and elbowed in the face just trying to get in line for lunch.

John turned on the corner, about to head to the stairs when two girls walked past him. "Did you hear?" he overheard one of the chatter excitedly. "We're supposed to get a new student today!"

"What? Really?" the other girl said, giddy. Whether from excitement or by the prospect of a possible punching bag like himself, he didn't know. "Who is it? A guy, or a girl?"

"I dunno, but I hear they're supposed to be some kind of..."

Their voices trailed away as they rounded on the same corner he came from. John felt slightly curious about who this new student could be, but he just shrugged. Chances were, they'd probably be like any other student here and rely solely on power. Either that, or they were a Cripple. In the latter case, he prayed for their safety and wished them the best of luck. If possible, he could try and help them out if they were ever in a jam, but it depended on who they were.

As John descended down the stairs, he noticed a familiar head of pink hair emerging out from the corner of his field of sight. Turning his head, he saw a teenage girl walking down the hall, wearing her uniform rather lazily: the blazer was unbuttoned, the tie was forgone and her hair was an utter mess. One had half a mind to wonder if she just rolled out of bed.

"Yo, Sera." he greeted, raising a hand.

The girl paused mid-step, looking up from the ground and grinned. "Hey yourself." she said as John joined her. "You heading to the cafeteria too?"

"Skipping out on lunch. Today's Wednesday, and I am not getting involved in another stampede."

"Don't sell yourself short. I remember you managed to grab a slice before, right?"

"Yeah. By sheer luck. And that was the time you straight up demanded I hand it over to you and dropped it. I didn't even get a chance to taste it..." John frowned in longing. It was in his grasp...yet still so far.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She grimaced. Back then, she was pretty volatile for things like that...

It was thanks to the guy next to her that she mellowed out.

Seraphina was the Ace of Wellstone. One of the Royals of the School. However, in the present, people could hardly believe that she was the same girl who was feared and respected among her peers. She was well known for being an ice queen, after all. Now, she was the polar opposite. Some of her more loyal followers had (rightfully) accused John of the change and had tried on more than one occasion to beat the shit out of him. She put a stop to all attempts, and made it clear that if anyone messed with him was going to end up eating dirt.

He wasn't going to lie. It was a thrilling experience to see. Shame they started to learn and only attacked whenever she wasn't around and they were sure they could get away with it.

"So, you hear the news?" Seraphina struck up a conversation as they made their way to the cafeteria. "About the school getting a new student?"

"Overheard two girls talking about it as they were walking by." he shrugged. "Don't know if they're a transfer or they're just now starting late, though."

"Kinda curious what kind of person they are, given how the school is making a big commotion out of it."

"Yeah. But I'm thinking it result in three possibilities: A powerful elite-tier or higher with an elitist outlook that values power above all else and torments the weak, someone average who uses their power to torment others weaker than themselves, or a cripple like me." John answered with three fingers raised.

Seraphina hummed, bringing a finger to her chin. "Or they could be like the previous King and be kind to everyone, regardless of tier." she mentioned. John had only heard of it in passing, but the previous King was popular with the low-tiers for his kind attitude for treating them as equals. He was also particularly known for his attitude whenever someone bullied a low-tier, just for the sake of it. "I've also been hearing a pretty interesting rumor about the new student, though."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, supposedly they're-"

They entered the cafeteria. Not a second later did John suddenly found himself on the ground, taking cover as a student went flying over his head. As he looked up, he saw a massive crowd of students all fighting each other, gathered around the lunch ladies, who watched the whole thing with sweatdrops.

"The hell's this?" he cried. "It isn't even lunch time yet! Why's everyone fighting to get in line first?!"

"Oh, right." Serapina suddenly remembered. "They started selling the Triple Chocolate Cake today during Break, too."

John looked at her with large eyes before weeping, hanging his head low. There went his plans for a peaceful lunch break. If they were selling the most sought after item in the menu as early as break now, he was seriously going to have to remind himself to start bringing home-made lunches with him. Provided he guarded them with his life. For some reason, there were a few bullies who liked to see him starve and steal his lunch. Or at worst, destroy his meal before his eyes.

* * *

When third period rolled around, John looked as if he had just gotten out of a rodeo. His blazer was slightly unbuttoned, his tie looked ready to come loose and he was sporting a small bruise on his cheek, which he was currently nursing as he took his seat in the middle of the room. As class began, the teacher cleared his throat and leaned forward on the podium.

"Alright..." he started. "Before we begin, I have something to announce. By now, I'm sure you've all heard that we're receiving a new student today. I'm also sure you've heard quite a few things about him, but please, don't cause a ruckus just because of that, understand?" To emphasize his point, he narrows his eyes and released an intimidating aura. While nowhere near compared to the aura demonstrated by the school nurse Darren, it was still enough to make everyone, John include, nod their heads rigidly. "Good." Satisfied, the teacher turned his head to the door. "You can come in now."

The door slid open, allowing the new transfer to step inside and allow everyone to get a good look at them. They were male, wearing the standard Wellston uniform, but the blazer was open and the tie was discarded. He was rather thin and lanky with tanned skin and dark rings under his eyes. His hair was unkempt, even worse than Seraphina's if such a thing was possible, colored brown. His eyes, which were drowsy, were gray.

The girls of the class let out a few disappointed groans and sighs, noting how plain and ordinary he looked, having hoped he would be a total hottie. The boys of the class grunted and snickered, thinking that because of his appearance, he was probably a low tier.

John, however, looked as if he was about to pass out.

_'N-no way. There's no way. Nu-uh. Not possible. It can't be him... Can it?!'_

"Introduce yourself."

The lanky teen nodded, taking a step forward. "Yo." he said, giving everyone a two-fingered greeting as he rubbed the back of his head, offering a sheepish smile. "The name's Drake. Nice to meet all of you. It's been a while since I was in school, so I might be a little bit slow on some things. Hope we can get along and try not to kill each other." This earned a few laughs among the students. The teacher, however, didn't look amused in the least, evident by the throbbing vein over his eyebrow. "Oh. Sorry. Too soon?"

"Just take your damn seat." he got out, grinding his teeth. "You can sit in the seat at the far right."

"Got it." The teen nodded before making his way over to his seat, which just so happened to be a couple desks away from John's. The raven haired teen's eyes were locked on his form as he strode past. As he went past, Drake turned his head slightly in John's direction, locking eyes with him.

He gave a ghost of a grin before continuing on.

Unfortunately, one of the ruder classmates saw it funny to trip up the new kid. So they stuck their leg out to trip him up. Drake's leg got caught on the limb and crashed to the ground, causing the other students to laugh.

"Hehe...sorry bout that. I'm kind clumsy." Drake scratched his head sheepishly. He got up and sat in his seat.

"Russel, stay after class." the teacher called out to the classmate who tripped Drake, causing him to groan and others to snicker. "Now, let's continue where we left off last class. Marie, share your textbook with Drake for the time being. Now, open your books to page 437..."

* * *

Class surprisingly went on without a hitch. Everyone was quiet, mostly due to students taking a gander at the new transfer, but the teacher didn't call out to any of them because they were actually well-behaved.

And Drake demonstrated his intelligence by correctly answering questions he was given, much to the teacher's approval.

Eventually, Third period came to an end. Fourth period was not much of an affair either, aside from John finding it to be highly suspicious when he discovered that Drake was also in the same class as him. When class ended and Lunch Break began, a few students had unsurprisingly walked up to Drake, just as he was preparing to leave. "You're the new guy, right?" one of them asked bluntly. She had teal hair and bright green eyes, a curious expression on her face. "Drake?"

"Yup, that's me." Drake answered. "How can I help ya?"

"My name's Elaine. I'm your classmate." She extended her hand. "Welcome to Wellston. Are you a transfer or a late arrival?"

"Thanks." Drake smiled thinly, accepting the hand. "I'm actually transferring in. I used to be home schooled before I scored high enough to get in."

"Is that so?" the girl smiled strangely, as if she had this before. And she had, having heard a similar story from another student when he transferred into the school. "The exams are pretty tough. You must be really smart, then."

The lanky teen waved a hand. "Nah, it was pretty easy. Even the proctor was surprised when he saw my score."

"Really? You must be pretty smart then." She smiled in amusement.

"Either that, or I was extremely lucky." Drake shrugged. "Some of the stuff actually stumped me...so I ended up making educated guesses. I guess it worked out though." Which, technically, wasn't a lie, though he wasn't about to tell them that the questions he didn't know were far and few between.

"Oh, please. From the way you make it sound, you're pretty smart." Elaine smirked, folding her arms. "And I bet you're strong, too. What's your ability?"

At this, everyone listening in leaned forward, curious to know as well. Though they were fairly sure his power would be quite weak, given his appearance, they could be wrong and he could be quite powerful. Perhaps on the level of a high-tier.

At this, however, John's heart skipped a beat while he broke out in a sweat. This scene was familiar...and if this guy answered wrong...

"Hm...my ability huh? Well, calling something strong is pretty relative." He shrugged. "It may seem strong to another, while someone else would view it as weak. So...instead of telling you, why don't I just show you? Is there anyone willing to be a volunteer?" He called out to the crowd. This seemed to surprise the class, but one student raised a hand as they walked up to Drake. "Gimme your hand. Promise, it ain't gonna be me electrocuting you or cutting off your hand or anything." Drake promised. They didn't look convinced, but offer their hand all the same. Drake smiled as he took their hand into his. His eyes shimmered to life, glowing almost. Suddenly, the student found themselves weak in the knees, stumbling before falling to their knees, no longer having the strength. Pulling his hand back, Drake turned back to a surprised Elaine. "My ability lets me drain the stamina of anyone I touch. Comes in pretty handy whenever I run into a mugger or some asshole looking to start a fight. Like I said, it isn't strong."

All eyes widened at this display. Drain stamina on contact? Sure it seemed pretty mediocre, but at least it was relatively useful. Unfortunately, his power doesn't seem to reach very high. Possibly mid-tier at best.

It would seem that the transfer was a weakling as he appeared...

...but John thought differently.

* * *

John had made himself scarce once Lunch got started. As usual, he sat up on the roof after he managed to snag himself something from the cafeteria. Since the Triple Chocolate Cake was already taken, it was much easier to get some food. As he was about to dig in, however, he heard the door opening. At first, he assumed it was Seraphina or perhaps another student. Maybe a royal, since she told him that they often frequented coming up here. However, that thought was put to rest when it was revealed to be Drake, who shut it behind him.

Drake took a quick glance around the roof before his eyes settled on John. After a moment, he grinned widely. "Yo, Johnny. Been a while~"

"I thought I told you not to call me that." John shot back, albeit playfully with a smile. "And yeah. We haven't talked since I got kicked out of Bostin. Sorry about that, by the way. I was..."

"Busy, I know." Drake held up his hands, gesturing for him to stop. "When we stopped by your house one time, your dad told us the whole story. By the way, the fuck did you do to your hair? You look like a shmuck."

The dark-haired teen scoffed. "Says the guy who looks like he's dead to the world!"

"At least I can bring style to my dead look. You look like a complete dork waiting to get shit thrown at him." He bantered back.

"At least I'm not scrawny like a twig."

"Hey, you know how my body works! I keep eating, yet my metabolism burns it all out! I'm always hungry too!" After a minute of bickering, both Drake and John found themselves laughing, the latter nearly falling over as his sides started to cramp. Afterwards, they ate their lunch, looking up at the blue sky and watching the white clouds stream on past. "...hard to believe it's been a year." Drake said, taking a sip of the soda can in his hand. "Time sure does fly, huh?"

"Yeah." John nodded in agreement. "How's everyone doing, by the way?"

"Erica's been busy with school work and her new job." the lanky teen replied cheerfully. "She started work as a model. She was half-tempted to have me send you a picture of her in a swimsuit." At this, John spluttered and blushed heavily, cheeks turning scarlet. The image was unfortunately now firmly planted in his head, making Drake grin. "As for Clay, he's been busy with work. We usually have to pull him out of the office."

He raised an eyebrow. "He still wearing gloves and surgical mask?"

"Yup. Still a huge germ freak." Drake folded his arms and tilted his head, as if deep in thought. "Now that I think about it, he's gotten worse. When I tracked mud in his place, he freaked out and threw me into the bathroom, demanding I shower while he cleaned up his carpet."

"...I can see that." John said after a moment of thinking. His mind drifted back to the old days, back before the events that threw his world on its head, and his old bonds broken. Smiling sadly, he looked down at his lap. "It's been so long since I've hanged out with you guys... God, I feel like an asshole. All this time, I've just been worrying about my own problems, and I never bothered to try and get back in touch with you all."

"Wasn't your fault."

"...have you heard anything from Claire?"

Drake frowned, as if he had just swallowed something sour. "No, I haven't. And honestly speaking, John? If I see her again, I'm clocking her lights out."

"C'mon, isn't that going too far?"

"After what she pulled back then? No. No it is not. Frankly, I'm surprised Clay didn't personally see to her in the aftermath for a...check up." He shook his head as he unwrapped one of his many sandwiches and took a bite.

"Drake..." John frowned.

"But look...let's not ruin our reunion by thinking of crap. So how have you been?" Drake immediately changed the subject.

The discussion was far from over, John decided, but he would humor Drake and took a bite out of his own sandwich. "It's been good so far. I've been keeping my head down, making sure not to cause trouble. As far as everyone else knows, I'm just a Cripple." As he went to take another bite, he noticed Drake staring at him incredulously. "What?"

"...you're telling me you let everyone in this school walk over you?" he asked in disbelief. "You? The guy who kicked the shit out of his bullies the moment he got his ability?"

John's cheeks flushed, but internally his stomach churned in disarray. In his head, that image of that day reared its ugly head, causing his hands to tremble. "Not everyone." he insisted. "And I can defend myself just fine without using my ability."

"Just please tell me you at least put the fear of god into these assholes." Drake pleaded. When John didn't answer, Drake groaned and shook his head. "Un-freaking-believable... You are so lucky you're talking about this with me and not Erica. She'd have a field day with everyone at this school!"

"Please don't tell her!" He begged. He REALLY didn't want to have something like that on his conscience. Oh, the horror...!

"I will if it truly turns out to be a lost cause for them, John." His friend frowned at him. "Seriously, I know you feel guilty...but why play the cripple card? You know how these guys work. They torment those weaker than them constantly! And I bet that girl from class earlier asked you the same things, and shunned you when you told her you were powerless, huh?"

"Y-yeah..." He hung his head.

"Dude...why are you putting yourself through this abuse?" Drake was genuinely concerned. "Clay and Erica would've picked your brain for an answer, but I want you to tell me. Please."

"Because I..."

Before he could deliver an answer, the door to the roof opened again. "Yo, John. Sorry I'm-oh, you have a friend." Seraphina said, stopping just as she closed the door behind her with a look of surprise. "Aren't you the new kid?"

Drake, blinking, nodded slowly. "Yeah. Drake. And you're..."

"Seraphina. Call me Sera."

"Sera, huh? Nice to meet you." The lanky teen extended a hand that Seraphina grasped. "So what brings you up on the roof?"

"I can ask you the same thing. Usually only Royals and John tend to come up here."

"Well, I'm new here, I didn't really know that...wait, Royals? Does-does that mean...?"

"Yeah. I'm the school's Ace. Got an issue with that?" she asked with a raised brow.

"No. Not at all! I just didn't really expect Johnny's friend to be a Royal...or a girl for that matter..."

"H-Hey! What does that supposed to mean?!" the gelled teen asked indignantly.

"Well, I'll be blunt here, Johnny. Your hairstyle is a girl repellent. You look like a dork." Drake chortled as he finished his sandwich before unwrapping another. John scowled while Sera couldn't help but giggle, taking a seat next to him. "Just at least me tell me your sense of fashion hasn't gotten worse, because so help me..."

"Drake, shut  _up_!" John hissed, more out of embarrassment that they were having this conversation with Seraphina present than anything else. "Just  _shut up_!"

"You two get along." Seraphina noted. "You guys childhood friends?"

Drake chuckled. "You can say that." he nodded. "Me and this guy go way back. Back before I got my ability. So, honest question for ya, Miss Ace. How'd you meet Johnny? More importantly, did he have this hair style?!"

"Okay, can you just drop the subject about my damn hair?!"

* * *

Despite John's worries, Drake and Seraphina had gotten along without a hitch. If anything, Seraphina had been quite curious about their relationship and asked quite a few questions, some of which Drake had purposely danced around and provided either half-truths or just outright switched the conversation around to another topic, no doubt out of respect for his decision. Since he hadn't told Seraphina anything about his past, he told her only things unrelated to events in regards to his ability.

Naturally, this led to Seraphina learning about their other friends: Erica and Clay. She was surprised that John had been friends with a model of all people, and laughed when Drake teased him about it. And Clay seemed like quite the character due to his germophobia.

"Sounds like you have interesting friends, John." Seraphina commented. "Any idea of when I can meet them?"

At this, John grew a bit tense. After everything that happened last year, he had lost all contact with everyone. It still made him feel bad for not trying to contact them even once. It wasn't that he had forgotten about them, it was just that, with all that was happening at the time, between the drama at Wellston and his own personal problems, he felt that it wasn't their problem or their place to get involved. They all had better things to do than get involved with someone like him.

"They're all pretty busy with their own jobs, but I'll see what I can do." Drake answered in his stead. "I'm sure Erica would love to meet you. Just be ready for the copious amounts of teasing and the possibility that she may call you John's girlfriend." This prospect served to make John and Seraphina both develop a heavy blush. The worst part was, the former knew for a damn fact that would happen. To this day, it still stunned him to know how much of a tease she had become, much less a bomb shell. After finishing the last of his sandwich, Drake stood up. "I'm gonna head to class early. Maybe I'll get lucky and have you in fifth period."

John rolled his eyes, but nonetheless grinned. "It was cool seeing you again, man."

"You too, Johnny." With a wave, Drake left the rooftop, descending down the stairs. As he did so, however, his smile faded and became a troubled frown, pulling out a cell phone from his pocket. After punching in a few numbers, he waited for the line to pick up. After an audible *click* was heard, he pulled the phone up to his ear. "Hey, it's me."

[You were supposed to call an hour ago.] an irritated male voice said. [What kept you?]

"I ran into John and lost track of time." he answered with a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. "It's bad, Clay. Guy's a fucking wreck."

[On a scale of one to ten, how bad?]

"For the last year since he enrolled at this dump, he's been pretending to be a  _Cripple_." Drake stressed. " _A Cripple!_  Clay, he's letting these assholes walk right over him!"

[Calm down.] Clay told him. [I know how you feel right now, but spazzing our like that is not going to help him.]

"Right, right...I know..." he relented. Despite his calm demeanor, he could tell that Clay was actually seething. "Dammit... This sucks. We're gonna have to start over." Irritation then began to seep into his voice, scowling. "That bitch really did fuck us over. John still thinks she was just to knock some sense into him."

[It's probably better this way. Better to have him still think of her as a friend rather than using him as a mere stepping stone.] There was a brief pause on the other end, like because of what he was doing in his room before he continued on. [What about the Royals at Wellston?]

The lanky teen sighed. "Only met the Ace, Seraphina. She's pretty pleasant overall. Plus, it seems like she's the only friend he's got here. Erica would like her."

[Dully noted. And have you told them about your Ability?]

At this, Drake smirked. "As far as they know, I just need to touch them. After that, they'll feel like they ran a marathon with weights." he answered. "So, how about stuff on your end?"

[Things are going well over here. Procedures should be completed relatively soon.]

"That's great. So, should you tell Erica about the crap John went through, or should I?"

[I would say delay that order for a bit. No need to let things escalate too soon. Besides, she should be heading your way soon for her own task.]

"Got it." He paused briefly, his mood still simmering. "...This situation still pisses me off."

Clay sighed. [I know, bro. I know. By the way, the Boss has a new job for you if you're up for it.] Already, Drake felt his mood improved and told Clay to continue. [New Bostin's Queen has been causing trouble ever since John was expelled. She's not just tormenting those in the school, but also those who participate in Turf Wars. Violently.]

"What's her Ability?"

[Vectors.]

Drake whistled. "Damn... That'd make her God-tier, wouldn't it?" he asked. "So, I do the usual?"

[Just one thing. Don't overdue it.] Clay told him irritably. [It's a pain, cleaning up your mess. Can't you just settle for draining them instead of beating them with a damned metal bat?]

"Oh c'mon! Why can't you give me a little fun? Draining them of their powers is just so boring...! Let me have some excitement!"

[You know, it's times like these that if Erica and I hadn't given you a psyche evaluation, we would've deemed you as psychotic.] Clay told him. [Just don't overdo it. We don't need any publicity from this. Besides, the boss finds her power useful. Take care of it.]

"Understood. See ya."

[Later.]

* * *

"I'm surprised you never told me about your old friends." Seraphina said to John, not long after Drake had left the rooftop. They were still in the midst of finishing up their own lunch, so they still had some time. "Drake seems pretty cool."

"More than you know." John said in agreement. "They helped me out a lot." He thought about the good old days for a moment, then laughed awkwardly. "Though I think I could deal without Erica's teasing. I swear, some days I think she's the Devil or something."

"Yeah? What is she? Your ex-girlfriend or something?"

John promptly did a spittake. "Wh-what?! No! Nothing like that! She was more interested in Clay than the rest of us..."

That, and while he would never admit it to anyone, not even to his closest friends, he was a little bit terrified of Erica. Especially whenever she was very angry. He wasn't exaggerating when he imagined the horror. It was absolutely petrifying. Of course, most of that had to do with her Ability. Aside from that, well, she was still perfectly capable of being terrifying.

"I see..." Seraphina hummed. "So, why didn't you tell me about them until now?"

"Huh? Oh...well..." how should he phrase this? "We...we haven't been in touch for a while. We were close, don't get me wrong, but I haven't been able to contact them for the past year. So I guess it just...slipped my mind..."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. There was clearly something suspicious about his evasions, but rather than press for answers, she shrugged her shoulders and dug into the sweet roll in her hand. "Whatever." she said, much to John's relief. "You free this week?"

"I should be. Why?"

"A friend of mine asked me to go shopping for her. Figured I could use the company."

John smiled widely. "I don't mind!"

* * *

In the year that followed John the Tyrant's expulsion from New Bostin High School, the hierarchy there had been flipped on its head. The previous Royals had left the school, causing a power vacuum within New Bostin. Many students competed against one another to fill the new positions of Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.

However, out of everyone of the student body, one of them, a God-tier, rose to the top and became the new, sole Royal of the school.

She was the Queen, and the Ace. To everyone in the school, she was called Queen Mary. But to those who fought her in the Turf Wars and to those who spoke of her behind her back, she was known by a more infamous name.

_"Bloody Mary."_

The reason being?

Every time she fought, it was a literal bloodbath. Every time she took to the field, she painted the earth red with the blood of her foes. No one had died. She didn't want to get arrested for murder, after all. So instead, she settled for beating them brutally and without mercy. In a short span of time, she became feared among the other schools for her prowess. They knew better than to cross her. And any who dared defy her would be at her feet, left bloody and in a broken mess. Like everyone else, she believed that might make right. That only those with strength had the ability to make decisions. And any who said otherwise were fools.

In spite of her bloodthirsty demeanor, Mary actually looked quite beautiful. Her hair was perhaps one of the reasons why she was given the name. Bright crimson, matching her slanted, narrowed eyes. Below her right eye was a little mole.

Yet hidden behind that beauty is a bloodthirsty conquerer. She was willing to raze anything to the ground to reach her goal.

Some say she was the second coming of the Tyrant.

That, however, was something that irritated Drake. He only knew of one person by that name, and it sure as hell wasn't some red-haired hussy. More importantly, John never bothered to participate in Turf Wars, namely because he didn't see any point in participating in glorified pissing contests. Not to mention he wasn't showy. Mary, on the other hand, was taking part in these battles left and right, mostly by herself and crushing one school after another. Sometimes, she would even challenge multiple schools and take them on all at once.

Tonight, she was going to be fighting three schools at once. His job was to, more or less, incapacitate everyone and take down Bloody Mary. Begrudgingly, he followed Clay's warnings and didn't bring his bat. Such a shame, too. He really wanted to bash in her face.

"Let's get this over with." he muttered as he left the shadows of the overpass, revealing him to be wearing a dark leather jacket with a black hoodie. On the back of the jacket was a pale blue design, showing the weighted scales of justice. One scale held a half-eaten apple, and the other held a skull. It was a representation of who he is and his power. A ceaseless hunger. A bringer of starvation of vitality and power.

A great  _Famine_.

Tugging at the fingerless gloves he was in the midst of putting on, he pulled the hood over his head. Up ahead, several groups of students were all gathered, each dressed in different uniforms. Yet one of them stood out from the rest: Bloody Mary herself. She carried herself with arrogance and pride that it made Drake sick. From the look of it, the Turf War hadn't started yet. Everyone was still ready and roaring to go. Waiting for the moment when they could strike. As his eyes scanned the group, he looked for those who were each school's Royals. While it would normally be hard to determine who was who, he had been doing this long enough to find some telltale signs. Once he singled them out, he smiled thinly and slowly made his approach, rolling his neck. The closer he came, the more clearly he could hear everyone talking.

"Is this all you could muster?" Blood Mary asked with a fanged grin, folding her arms beneath her ample bosom. "Quite pathetic."

"Don't think you're staying on your high and mighty Horse any longer, Bloody Mary!" One of the Kings yelled. "Your reign is over!" At this, Bloody Mary laughed. Drake winced.

_'It's like listening to nails scratching on a blackboard.'_  he thought with a cringe.

"Is that so? Then by all means, come at me all at once! I'll make sure your schools know how broken you are by the end of tonight!"

_'Oh, they'll be broken alright.'_  Drake thought with a smirk as he took out his phone, quickly searching for a song to play. Erica had more or less made it a requirement for them to be kicking ass while music was playing in the background like some kind of anime. He eventually found a song fitting for his performance and hit play.

_**(for your musical pleasure, Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt BGM - "Dies Irae")** _

"Well then..." he grinned. "Game on." As soon as the music began to play, garnering the attention of everyone within earshot, all eyes soon fell on Drake, who approached at a leisurely pace, hands at his sides. "Evening, boys and girls! How're we all doing this fine night?"

"...Who the hell are you?!" One of the teens cried out.

"Me? Nobody of consequence." He shrugged. "Just out of a midnight stroll. And lo and behold, what do I find? A bunch of guys who want to see who's better at kicking ass." He lifted his head up, lazily pointing a finger at Bloody Mary. "You're the Queen of New Bostin, right? Virgin Mary or something?"

"That's Queen Mary." The red head snapped irritably. "And you got a death wish asshole? If you don't want to get mangled, get out of here."

"Now why would I do that?" he said, unconcerned as he rolled his neck. "After all, I don't see any real danger here, aside from some hussy who thinks she's all that and a bag of chips." This served to enrage Bloody Mary as her first turned scarlet. Those present gave a few snickers, while some were impressed by the audacity he showed to one of the most brutal people in the area. "Besides, I got business with you, Virgin Mary."

"It's Queen Mary!"

"Don't care, princess." Drake deadpanned before he turned to address the other Royals and reinforcements present. "Now, everyone here has two choices: either you can leave or you can fight. Take your pick!"

Confusion and shock ran through the mass of students. Was he for real? He was actually trying to pick a fight with everyone present? His declaration implied he must have had a great deal of confidence in his abilities, meaning he was quite powerful. Strong enough to think he could take on even the likes of Bloody Mary. Some were enraged that he could try and take their target away from him, but others thought that he was suicidal. As they all deliberated on what to do, and Virgin Mary looking ready to kill Drake, one Royal had noticed the design on the back of his jacket.

Immediately, the color drained from their face. "W-wait! Look at his jacket! He's wearing the Scales!"

With that, any anger and indignation among the group had died, giving way to panic and fear. "Aw, you went ahead and spoiled the surprise..." Drake pouted while scratching his head. "Oh well, that makes things simpler then."

His eyes glowed. In the next second, a wave of discomfort washed over the group.

Bloody Mary scowled. "I've heard about you... The Aces of Spade. The Black Royals." she said, spitting out the nicknames and monikers they received like venom. "You're all nothing more than disgraces!"

"And like you aren't?" Drake scoffed before a wicked grin crossed his face. "You've got a lot of balls, you bitch. As far as I'm concerned, only one person at your school deserves the title of a Royal, and you sure as hell ain't him!"

"You mean that disgrace of a Royal from last year?" She snorted. "He was pathetic! He refused to take part in Turf Wars and demonstrate his might! Instead he just stayed and hid in his shadows like some scared cat! He could've made Bostin the strongest, but he just fled like the pathetic coward he is!"

"...alright, now you just went and made me angry, bitch." Any pretense of cockiness was gone, or eagerness for a good fight. Instead, all that there was now was little more than a cold, tranquil fury as he cracked his fingers. The intensity in his eyes glowed even more the discomfort of everyone around him grew. Some even started to feel weak in the knees. "I was going to maybe beat you down into a sniveling mess." he hissed. "I've changed my mind. I'm just going to  _break_  you."

"And what can you hope to do?! Even if you're one of the Aces of Spade, you're as weak as everyone else before me!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Why not use your ability? ...if you can, that is."

"Gladly!" Mary shouted as she raised her leg to stomp hard on the Earth. This was one of her signature moves where she would stomp on the ground, and manipulate the vectors to increase the magnitude of her stomp. The result would be an earthquake to disrupt her opponents's movements, followed by kicking a pebble with the force of a fired bullet.

However...no such thing happened. All her foot did was scuff up some dirt.

For a moment, she was left stunned. Then her face grew confused. Then agitated as she attempted to use her Ability again.

The same result.

"What's going on?" she demanded angrily. "Why can't I use my Ability?!"

As this happened, more of the Royals found themselves growing weaker. Falling to the ground, resting on their knees as they mysteriously found themselves no longer able to stand. One tried to use their Ability as well, being able to conjure a fistful of flames. Instead, they were only rewarded with nothing. Groaning, he collapsed to all fours.

Drake's lips tugged into a smirk. "Some claim that my ability lets me drain the stamina of the people around me, but that's only the tip of the iceberg." he said as he stalked forward, with hands snugly inside his pockets. "With physical contact, I can make you weak in the knees in a second. But that isn't all. I can also drain a person's life energy. You'll recover once my ability stops, but the fact remains I'm sucking you bastards dry. And want to something else?

"This is just a useful benefit to my real ability."

"What?!" Bloody Mary gasped before she growled. "What does that mean?!"

"It means, that as of this moment...every last person here is weak." Drake said, showing off his fanged canines in a wide, manic grin. "Every last one of you no long has any power! No strength! You're all just  _Cripples_  now!"

"Wh-what?!" She shrieked. They...they were cripples now?! Impossible! "You...you lie!"

"Am I? Surely, you're feeling it now. With each passing second, you grow weaker and weaker..." Another wave of discomfort passed. A few weak-willed Royals found themselves falling unconscious, eyes rolling to the back of their heads and sat on the ground, not moving an inch. "Until finally, you won't be able to maintain consciousness. And let me tell you all...your life energy is so delicious..." He licked his lips in hunger. "I was quite famished."

Bloody Mary mustered a scowl, attempting to say something to him, only to find herself falling to her knee. She was panting, findling little strength to stand. _'What's happening to me?'_  her mind demanded an answer.  _'Why can't I use my Ability? Why is it becoming so troublesome just to breathe?! No... It couldn't be true! There's no way he actually stripped me of my Ability!'_  Looking up, she saw the cocky and condescending smile on his face as he leered down at her.  _'Smug bastard...! If I defeat him, I can cancel his Ability! And then I can...!'_

Mustering all her remaining strength, she lunged forward and attempted to punch him. Instead, he caught her fist easily, holding it tightly and twisting it an uncomfortable angle, causing her to cry out in pain. "Color me impressed." Drake said. "Few can actually have the strenth to try and go in for a hit. Unfortunately, for you..."

Bloody Mary fell to her knees, collapsing on the spot while her arm was still in Drake's grasp.

"...this is the end. Consider yourself  _dethroned_ , Mary."

With a tug, he pulled the female Royal up to her feet and delivered a harsh haymaker to her stomach. The pain, coupled with her rapidly dwindling reserves, was too much for her and she lost consciousness like the others.

Drake smirked as he maintained his ability. There's no way he would let any stragglers up. "Phase one done Now then." He picked up Mary and carried her like a sack of potatoes. "It's time for Phase two."

* * *

"The Aces of Spade?"

John had been in the middle of his homework assignment when Seraphina had called, being utterly bored and beside herself. They had made small talk for a while before Wellston's Ace had brought up something he had vaguely heard of before.

[Yeah, they're the talk of every Royal in the city.] Seraphina told him. In the background, he could faintly make out the sound of rushing water, meaning she was probably in the bathroom. [I heard Remi mention them before, back when I used to participate in the Turf Wars. Others call them the Black Royals, mainly because they're all supposedly not a part of any school and they challenge anyone who they think abuses their power. They're practically boogeymen to the Royals.]

The dark-haired teen pursed his lips. "I think I've heard of them before. I don't know much, though. Does anyone know who they are?"

[Nope. The only thing they do know is that their Abilities are all God-tier. Part of the reason they're called the Black Royals is because of the leather jackets they were, and each supposedly has a design. One member wears the justice scales with a half-eaten fruit and skull, another member wears bow with a crown, and the last has a scythe.]

"...that sounds an awful like the Four Horsemen." John commented. Seraphina made a noise in the background, which he assumed was because she was curious about what he meant. Going by that assumption, he continued. "If you ever read the bible, the Four Horsemen are described wielding items. Conquest, the White Rider, wears a crown and wields a bow and arrow. Famine, the Black Rider, carries the justice scales. War, the Red Rider, carries a sword. The last one, Death, the Pale Rider, carries a scythe."

[So based on that, we only got three out of the four making an appearance. Kinda makes you wonder where the Sword guy is. And you surprised me. I didn't think you were big into religion.]

"Not really. My dad sometimes researches historical and religious themes as material for his books and I sometimes help him out. That's how I learned about them in the first place."

[Well, if you put more effort into your studies like you do with your research, maybe your grades could be better.]

"Hey..."

Serapina giggled. [Shakespeare. Enough said.]

"Grgh...!" He had no argument for that. "Fine...you made your point...but still...why bring up the Aces of Spade out of the blue, like that?"

[You follow WIRE?] Seraphina asked him. John nodded. WIRE was a social media site that students used frequently. It was no different than Twitter or Facebook, though unlike the other two, WIRE also had forums for those who participated in Turf Wars, whether you were a Royal or not. These individuals were usually people who wanted a good fight and whatnot. [There was a post that one of the Aces of Spade showed up to take on several Royals. Several. From different schools. Including Bloody Mary from new Bostin!]

From his end, John felt himself go numb for a brief moment from that last part. But he quickly composed himself so Sera wouldn't notice. "Really? He must be pretty strong to think he can challenge all of them. Who was he and what was the result?"

[Ive been checking the other forums, and it seems like he's the one with the Scales. Believe it or not, the Ace of Spade won.]

"Really?" Okay, that was impressive. To thin that there would be someone as powerful as that. John wagered even he would have trouble, fighting so many individuals at once, even with his impressive Ability. "That's unbelievable."

[Yeah...] There were noises occuring in the background for a moment before Seraphina spoke again. [Alright, well, I'll be hanging up. Don't stay up too late working, Johnny~]

"Ugh! Really? He's got you doing that?" John said in mock hurt, smiling. "Later, Sera." The call ended there and he set his phone down on the table, leaning back in his chair. As he looked up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes. "Four Horsemen, huh...?" As he opened his eyes again, he got up from the chair and walked over to his bed. Getting down to his knees and pulled out what looked like a briefcase, undoing the latches before he pulled it open.

The first thing that John looked at were the photographs taped to the top of the briefcase. There were all frozen memories of him, Drake, and two others. One of them was a girl their age, with a well-endowed figure, slender legs, heart-shaped face, and a light complexion. She had long white hair, and blue gray eyes. The other was a boy about a year older, with a medium build hidden under his clothes and his face and hands covered by surgical mask and gloves respectively. His discernible features were his short black hair and red eyes, and pale skin.

John let out a smile at these photos, photos of him, Drake, Erica, and Clay when they were together. The times ranged from when they were children, to about a year ago.

His gaze them lowered to what was tucked and folded in the bottom of the briefcase. Gingerly, his hands grabbed the item and pulled it out. It was a leather jacket with dark red trims, made of expensive materials given how smooth it felt. It had a few zippers: two at the bottom of the jacket that acted as pockets, another zipper on the left breast and two more, sitting on the cuffs of the jacket. However, what had John's attention was what was marked on the back of the jacket.

Marked in dark blue, a sword was stabbed in the earth presented by the design, red blood running down the blade and forming a small pool on where the sword was stabbed.

John stared at it for a moment before he sighed deeply, eyes becoming deeply saddened. "So, this what you guys meant."

* * *

"...you're late, Famine."

"Hello to you too, Erica." Drake rolled his eyes as he walked into a dark room, where two other figures stood, both of which wearing the same leather jacket as he was. One had a white hoodie and the other wore a pale gray, which was pulled over his head while he sat atop a desk, gloved hands folded. "Oh, wait. Sorry. It's Conquest while we're working."

Clay sighed, shaking his head. "You took too long." he chided lightly. "What happened?"

"The bitch struck a nerve and I had to knock her down a peg." came the immediate answer. Judging by his tone, he wasn't in any mood to speak of what set him off. "So, we done for the night?"

"Not yet." Erica shook her head. "The Boss wants to talk with you first. He wants your report on your time at Wellston." Drake nodded and went over to the wall, leaning up against it while he stuck his hands in his pockets. "So, how's John doing?"

"Death told you about what he's been up to this past year?"

"No. I wanted to hear it from you first."

Drake grimaced and looked at Clay, who raised his hands and shook his head. He had tried to tell her, but Erica knew he was likely to give him a half-truth answer or an abridged one, so she wanted the answer from the source of the info instead. And Drake knew better than to lie. After all, she could force the truth out of him with her own Ability. Shaking his head, he sighed and told her. "He's been doing well, for the most part. I think it has something to do with that chick he befriended. Seraphina, I think her name was? She's the Ace. I haven't gotten the details yet, but she's John's only friend there."

Erica's eyes narrowed. "...why?"

_'Oh boy. Here we go...'_  both boys braced themselves for the impending rampage that she would no doubt bring. Claw was already removing his gloves, just in case it reached that point.

With some hesitance, Drake continued. "He's been pretending he doesn't have an Ability and that he's a Cripple. 'cause of that, all the students except Sera treat him like shit and try to bully him every chance they get."

"...HE'S DOING  _WHAT_?!" she screeched in rage, her own aura flaring up. "THAT  _IDIOT_! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM I'M GOING TO BEAT SOME SENSE INTO HIS DAMN SKULL!" Both Clay's and Drake's ears rattled from the magnitude of her scream, but she did not stop. "AND AFTER THAT, I'M GOING AFTER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE BASTARDS AND GIVE THEM HELL! No one, and I mean  _no one_ , hurts our brother like that! They're done!"

"Join the club..." Drake groaned as he tapped his ears, making sure they were still working. "And I already called first dibs on those assholes."

"Seriously!" Erica growled. "What the hell is wrong with him?!"

"It's like I told Clay earlier. That bitch fucked him up! And the guys who 'fixed' him made it worse!"

Clay sighed. "Enough, both of you." he said, tone even. The two looked at him with harsh glares, to which he ignored. "The past is already written. All we can do now in the present is write the future."

"...indeed."

Immediately, all three teens looked at the far end of the room. Unnoticed by any of them, someone had entered and taken a seat at a finely furbished black desk with golden edgings. The upper half of their body was hidden in the darkness of the room, but his voice was deep and baritone, making him much older than the others. He wore a black suit, one leg crossed over the other while a thin, yet rough hand held up a red chess piece in his hand.

"...Drake." the Boss said quietly. "That John boy...can he still use his Ability in the way we hope he can?"

Drake frowned, unsure how to answer at first. Hesitantly, he spoke. "I'm not entirely sure, Boss. Like I told Clay on the phone. We need to start over. Try and convince him and see that there is something seriously fucked up about this world." He took a sharp intake of breath, then continued. "But personally speaking, I know John's seething. I know that somewhere, the guy who was boiling over at how the world was running is still in him."

The Boss was quiet at first. He cradled and examined the chess piece before he set it down on the desk, joining the other colorful pieces that sat on his desk. "...your task has not changed." he said, breaking the silence. "Have John Doe bear the Sword. Let him ride upon this world and burn it to the ground."

In the darkness of the room, a pair of odd-colored eyes: one crimson red and the other vibrant azure blue, glowed menacingly in the darkness.

"Let this corrupt world, and EMBER know, the might of Revelation."

Together, the three of the Four Horsemen bowed their heads deeply, hands placed over their hearts. And together, they spoke in unison with fervor and faith.

_"Let them know the might of Revelation."_

-END-

* * *

**_Glossary:_ **

**Cripples** : Individuals who do not possess an ability. In the current state of society, which has begun to value power and might, those without power are considered worthless and tossed aside. The treatment of Cripples is dependent on certain parts of the world, but in the city where Wellston is located, they are treated with disdain and often tormented.

**God-tie** r: Ability-users are divided into different categories: low, mid, elite and high. God-tier Ability-users are a sub-category of high-tiers. It is a common belief that the only one capable of defeating a God-tier is another God-tier.

**Turf War** : A dangerous sport held by the strongest Ability-users of different schools. Generally, these tournaments are to see which school has the most powerful Ability-user, with the prize often being territory and street cred. Aside from the Turf Wars held by the Royals, there are low-scale Turf Wars between gangs of Ability-users, though these are generally unpopular and are rarely given any attention.

**Royal** : Notable Ability-users in school. The name "royal" comes from the poker game hand "Royal Flush," which requires the King, Queen, Jack, Ace and ten within the same suit. The King is the strongest male student, the Queen the strongest female, the Ace the most powerful student in the entire student body, and the Jack the least strongest, but still more powerful than other students.

**EMBER** : A mysterious organization that hunts down Ability-users who have begun to act as vigilantes. It is unknown whether or not EMBER is a singular individual or a group. Some characters in the world of UnOrdinary speculate that EMBER may have ties to the government, including the police force.

**Revelation** : A mysterious group who directly opposes the current state of the society within UnOrdinary. Their presence is considered to be nothing more than a rumor on the net, but the recent actions of the Aces of Spade suggest that Revelation may, in truth, exist.

**The Aces of Spade** : Also known as the Black Royals, and more infamously the Four Horsemen. The Abilities of these individuals are unknown, but they are all speculated to be God-tier. Possibly even stronger. Unknown to all, they are also high-ranking members of Revelation, answering directly to the Boss; the leader of Revelation.

**UnOrdinary** : A highly-controversial book that was eventually banned sometime after its eventual release. Due to the nature of the book, many high-tiers who read it were driven to become vigilantes, taken by the ideas it suggested.


	2. Mall Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first of the Black Royals, Drake - the Horseman Famine, has appeared at Wellston and rekindled his friendship with John. The school believes his ability is the power to drain one of their stamina, but John knows the truth. When night falls and the Queen of New Bostin, "Bloody Mary" appears to defend her turf, Drake defeats her and those present!
> 
> Now, another horseman appears! And with her arrival comes a change in the direction of fate!

It was raining by the time the funeral was over with. The lot was devoid of life, save perhaps the single young man standing over a fresh new grave, flowers decorating its abode. The headstone was hardly anything special, but it was more than enough to make the man feel some sense of relief. He had been worried that, because of the circumstances, his brother wouldn't get a proper burial.

His fears were unfounded.

Even so, however, there was still hate burning in his heart. Numbly, and uncaring of the rain that pelted his body, he gingerly touched the grave's headstone, messy hair covering his eyes. "Don't worry, little brother..." he promised to his dearly departed sibling quietly, hand shaking. "I'll make them pay."

For a brief moment, one could make out glowing eyes from beneath the bangs of his hair.

"I will make this world pay for what it has done..."

* * *

_...Revelation._

_The word bears numerous meanings. A dramatic reveal done in spectacular fashion. A plot twist in a movie or novel. Today, the word bears a great significance to the course of history._

_It is the name of those who were shunned by society, who values power. It is the name of those who would challenge the order of the world._

_And its agents of chaos are those who will reduce this world to ash. The Black Royals. The Aces of Spade._

_...the Four Horsemen._

* * *

**EPISODE II:**   
**Mall Mayhem**

The day after Drake's enrollment into Wellston, the weekend arrived in time for John to prepare for his outing. He took a good portion of his morning to apply gel in his hair and find something somewhat decent. It wasn't a date, so he didn't see any real reason to dress all fancy. Drake, on the other hand, would tell him otherwise. Then again, he was nowhere near as bad as Erica. That girl would sooner dump his ass in a ditch if she found out he tried wearing something dingy.

_'I doubt Clay would say anything, so long as I was squeaky clean.'_  John thought with a hint of nostalgia.  _'It's been so long since any of us hanged out... Maybe I should give them a call sometime?_ ' As he threw on a shirt, his cell went off. "Oh, that must be Sera." Walking over to his desk, he snatched it and answered the call. "Hello? Sera?"

[I don't know any Sera, but considering that's a girl's name, should I be concerned you have a girlfriend now, Johnny?]

John's eyes went wide. "E-Erica?!" In his shock, he nearly dropped his phone, playing a game of hot potato to keep a hold of it.

"That's me~! Everyone's favorite girl~!" The girl chirped cheerfully.

"Wh-why are you calling me?"

"Mou...is that the treatment I get? You never called in the past couple years! I just had to reach you when Drake told me he found you again! It's like you dropped off the face of the planet! You wouldn't meet with us or anything!" She whined.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"No. I won't accept your apology. Not until you hang out with me!"

"Huh?!"

* * *

Seraphina stared blankly at John, as if silently judging him, before she finally spoke. "I know you said she was a model, but damn."

"Thank you~!" Erica smiled cheerfully. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts with knee socks. She wore a white tank top with a black cardigan over it. Despite the jacket, her figure left very little to the imagination. "It's so nice to meet you! I'm so pleased what John finally got himself a girlfriend!"

"She-she's not my girlfriend!" John spluttered, cheeks cherry red. "She's my f-friend! Dammit, Erica, you promised no teasing!"

Erica smirked, wagging her finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, little Johnny. I told you I wouldn't embarrass you! I said nothing about teasing~" She then returned her attention to Sera, holding out her hand. "Anyway, I'm Erica! I'm a Junior at Maxwell Private High School, but I'll be transferring to Wellston near the end of the month. It's nice to meet you!"

"You as well." Sera greeted politely with a smile. "And wait, you said you were transferring?"

"Mm! My caretaker got a new job, so he's been thinking about moving a bit closer to his new work place. So I'll be transferring schools. It's kind of a hassle, but if it means I can keep an eye on Drake and John, it's a sacrifice worth enduring."

John pouted. "Oh, come on. I'm not that bad."

"I beg to differ. Speaking of Drake, how'd he do on his first day?" she asked curiously, slipping her hands into her pockets. "No fighting or anything?"

"No. Not really. Well, aside from someone trying to trip him up in class. The guy didn't get away with it though." John said honestly.

"Well, aside from that jerk, I'm glad. I hate it when my friends get hurt."

John involuntarily shivered. She spoke the absolute truth. And he didn't dare think what would happen once she came to Wellston. Assuming Drake hasn't told her what happened, she was going to react very badly.

_Very_.  ** _Very_  **badly.

"Anyway... Let's get this shopping trip started!"

* * *

"Remind me again." Drake deadpanned, standing a fair distance away from the three while Clay sat on a bench next to him, fidgeting and twitching as if being here was putting him on edge. "Why the hell are we here?" Also, will you knock it off?! It's bad enough your scrub mask and gloves are making people look at us weirdly, but its another thing entirely when you're looking ready to murder someone!"

"I can't help it!" Clay hissed. "Everything is just so-so filthy! How in the hell can people this?!"

"Because we can stand a little dirt. Now, seriously, why are we here? All I see is Erica hanging out with John and maybe later interrogating him when they're alone."

Clay sighed. For the sake of the mission the Boss gave them, he would withstand this. He would. But when he got back, he was going to take a very long shower. Just being in this space made him feel dirty. "Somewhere in this area, there's a vendor who makes a small living by measuring people's abilities. According to one of our Tenshi, there's a strong possibility that they're involved with EMBER, or with the NXGen Research Facility."

"NXGen?" Drake asked. "Ain't those guys the ones looking into why people have super powers?"

"The very same. Recently, they've been working on a rather peculiar project. As to what it is, we don't have an idea what it could be. But it was obviously important enough for an EMBER operative to try and break into the research facility to try and steal it."

"No shit?" Drake asked. If EMBER was involved, then it had to be something serious. "Did they steal it?"

"They tried. And failed. However, the fact that he broke into the facility was worrisome, so they transferred the project to another facility. The Tenshi suspect a leak of some kind."

"Okay, so... How does the vendor work into all this?"

Clay's eyes curved upward. "The Tenshi did a little investigation. The people who he's measured, and are considered high tier, have either gone missing...or severely crippled to the point they're hospitalized and in NXGen care, with their abilities being mysteriously hampered."

"Seriously?! Does that mean this guy's...?!" Before Drake could finish, Clay raised a hand.

"We don't know for sure. However, there's a good chance he may be affiliated with EMBER. The fact he generally measures high tiered users somehow fits their agenda of targeting high tiered ability users."

"But if what you said is true, then how the hell were they even found and attacked?"

"Apparently, he gives out prizes to people who scored high enough. I bet you that those 'prizes' are tracking devices of some sort. And since we have three high-tiers, and who knows how many others here in one space, it's best if we keep an eye out for them."

"I get it..." Drake hummed. "If either of those three gets a prize, we'll have Erica look into it. And if it does have a tracker in it-"

"-we take the vendor and let Erica have at him. Her ability is the best suited for interrogation, after all."

Drake snorted. "Best suited my ass. She's gotta be stronger than everyone in our fancy group, except the Boss. So long as you're in her line of sight, you are fucked six ways from Sunday." He then sent a sly grin to his friend. "Of course, in your case, it's quite literal in a whole different context."

Clay gave Drake a glare. "Do you want to find your head separated from your shoulders? Including your 'third leg'?"

"Whoa now! Let's not get hasty!" Drake scooted away as far from him as possible.

"Then shut up and focus. We need to make sure the vendor is cut off from escape. Make sure no one interferes with the mission. Discreetly. If they cause a panic, then they'll be onto us."

"Alright..." Drake sighed, scratching the back of his head. He was relieved that he managed to dodge that bullet. Normally, decapitation could kill a guy, but when done by Clay's hands, well...the feeling and overall reality of the situation was even more horrifying. After all, even though your neck wasn't on your body anymore, you were still capable of breathing. And seeing. And talking. Overall, it just felt scary as fuck and he really didn't want to have a repeat of that kind of situation anytime soon.

Still, he had to admit, he was a bit curious to see how this date was going to go.

* * *

It hadn't even been ten minutes before John wanted to dig himself into a hole and die.

"You're kidding." Seraphina was stuck between trying her hardest not to bust a gut laughing and losing to the urge. "He actually did that?"

"If you think that's bad, maybe I should tell you about the time he and Clay got stuck in the closet that one time! Let me tell you, it was all sorts of-"

"Erica, please stop." John interrupted, mortified to the point where he couldn't even look at the two girls in the eye, face buried in his hands. "Please? I don't know if I can live with this kind of shame!"

Seraphina wanted to start a conversation with Erica to get to know her better. And much to the male teen's horror, she broke the ice by sharing one of his most embarrassing moments. Then she told her even more stories that made him want to crawl under a rock!

And the worst part was that she promised not to embarrass him! He should've known she'd never agree to that. She practically lived on teasing others. Back in his time in New Bostin, she took great pleasure in teasing and flashing a bit of skin towards Austin. Poor guy looked ready to pass out. Of course, Drake and he both knew that she was mostly doing it to rile up Clay. And it only worked in the mildest definition. At best, he was only annoyed, but rather than out of jealousy, it was because she was making Austin look like a poor fool.

_'I hope he's doing okay.'_  John thought with a grimace. He never treated the guy with much respect. Hell, he was practically his punching bag. In the present day, he regretted treating him like that, especially considering that despite everything he had done, from ridiculing and beating him up, Austin always stuck by his side.  _'I wonder how things at New Bostin are.'_  Ever since Seraphina inadvertently reminded him of his own past, he wondered if the school had recovered from the shame he delivered on it.

And speaking of his past, he casted a glance at Erica, who was animatedly chatting away with Seraphina, swapping stories and such. He thought back to the trunk with photographs of happier days and the leather jacket that was given to him as a present for discovering his ability.

_'It couldn't be them, could it?'_  he thought, frowning.  _'Beating so many high-tiers means you'd have to be God-tier. And there are only three other people I know of who could take down so many Royals, especially if one of their opponents was Mary.'_  He knew who Mary was. Back during his Tyrant days, she was an upstart who constantly needed to be reminded who was stronger. They had only met on few occasions, and each meeting had been one-sided beatdown.  _'But, there's no way it could be them, right?'_

"We're going to change the world." he remembered them saying to him. "Once we hone our Abilities, we're going to make the world see us for who we are, not what we should be. And that includes everyone else. Even Cripples!"

John never understood the full meaning behind that sentence, but if they really were these "Aces of Spade," then...

_'Maybe I'm reading too much into this. It has to be a coincidence.'_

He shook his head, banishing the thoughts from his mind before he noticed that Seraphina was walking towards a nearby vendor. "Where's she going?"

"Going to get us some drinks." Erica told him. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"Sorry. Got lost in thought."

Erica raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Whatever, little brother. Actually, now that Sera's gone for the moment..." John suddenly felt his skin turn ice cold as Erica rounded on him, eyes narrowed and glowing while her fingers pinched at his cheeks. "What. The fuck. Were you thinking?!"

"Ow!" he cried. "Ehricka! Thaf fhurhts!"

"Tough shit! Seriously, the actual fuck?!" She released her grip on him, leaving his cheeks stinging red while she put her hands on her hips, glaring at him to the point where he wished the ground had swallowed him whole. "Drake told me about what you've been doing in school! You seriously told them you were a Cripple?!" John winced. He shoudlve known that Drake would blab that part to Erica. He should've made him promise not to tell. Because unlike her, he actually keeps his promises.

But there was now no way he can get out of this mess.

"Well?!" She expected an answer.

"...I'm sorry?" was all he could offer weakly.

Erica had a blank expression on her face. Where one may think the silence was relieving due to a lack of an outburst, John quickly grew terrified and tried to run.

Tried being the key word, as her hands shot out to grab his cheeks again before he could flee.

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it!"

"Ouch! Sthop, plheaze!"

"Sorry I'm late." Erica let go of his cheeks, making him whine as he tended to his now sore pieces of flesh while Seraphina approached, holding three cups of refreshments. "The guy was taking a while. His machine was kind of on the fritz, so...John? What happened to your cheeks?"

"N-nothing..." he said, weeping while Erica looked utterly innocent. Someday, he'd pay her back for this. But for now, he would live in fear, especially since she was now aware of his circumstances.

And for that reason, he dreaded for the safety of everyone in Wellston. Hell hath no fury like a woman with an Ability that could turn your brain into mush.

* * *

The festivities continued on, with Erica utterly dominating the arcade before they encountered a small vendor. One who was currently facing down the wrath of an older woman who looked utterly livid.

"This is an outrage!" The woman snapped. "There is no way my ability is that low! I demand you check again!"

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am..." The vendor tried to placate her to no avail. "But those were the exact numbers I read."

"Well I call this whole thing a sham!"

Sera frowned. "What's going on?"

"I think it's an Ability Measuring Vendor." John said, looking at the scene with a frown. "They're run by people who can measure the strength of your ability. Kind of like a sensor. I don't really know how it all works, though. From the look of it, though, I'm guessing that woman must've been told her Ability is weak."

"Looks like." Erica wrinkled her nose. "What a racket. And today was going so good too."

"Should we step in? He kind of looks like he's in trouble."

Seraphina shrugged. "Only if you want to." she said before smirking. "Just don't expect us to help you if she tries to blow you into kingdom come."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." John rolled his eyes, knowing full well Seraphina was joking. The male of the trio approached the livid woman and cowering man. "Hey, can you please stop? You're causing a racket for everyone else."

"And who do you think YOU are?" She snapped back at him. "Can't you see I'm busy?!"

"Hey, I'm not the one causing a scene." John said, holding his hands up. "Can't you just calm down? It's just a reading."

"A FALSE reading, you mean!" She pointed at the man running the booth. "This little swindler is telling me my power ability level is mid tier when I'm obviously elite tier!"

"So, you're causing a scene over a ten dollar refund? Aren't you just overreacting?"

"How dare you speak to me that way?!" Now her anger was directed at John while Sera and Erica stood beside him. The woman raised her arm as her eyes flowed. "Brats like you should keep their mouths shut!"

_'...Ah, crap._ ' John summed up in his head.

He really should've expected this to happen. Still, should an adult really be saying stuff like this? They were supposed to set examples, weren't they? Putting on a small grin, he shrugged. "Go right ahead." he challenged her, making her eyes grow wider. Seraphina choked, staring at John as if he were insane while Erica smiled thinly. "I mean, if you attack me, I'll have three witnesses who say you attacked me first. Wouldn't that look pretty bad for you, I mean? Attacking a minor out in the middle of public?"!

The woman grit her teeth. How dare this upstart speak to her like that! "You asked for it you damn brat!" A mass of energy gathered in her hand. She raised her arm to throw it only to be stopped by another voice.

"What is going on here?!" One of the mall security officers approached the ruckus. Seraphina breathed a small sigh of relief. Erica, however, looked at the mall officer with a hint of scrutiny. The officer then saw the vendor. "You?! Didn't I tell you to leave the last time I was here?!"

Sep 16The poor guy recoiled. "H-hey, I'm just trying to make an honest living!" he said as he shrunk in his seat. "Not my fault people make a racket because they got pissed!"

"And you're nothing more than a scam artist!" the woman snapped angrily.

John bit back a scowl. "And that justifies you trying to attack a minor and harass someone?" he said, causing the mall officer to look at him. Then he turned to the woman, who gritted her teeth. "Look, let's say he did screw up on your reading. What's it matter? There are plenty of people who can read your Ability level!"

"Shut it, you brat! Or do you want to-"

"Hey." Seraphina looked at Erica in surprise. The cheeriness in her voice was gone, replaced by something else. Something she couldn't quite describe. She was still smiling, but it didn't look real. It felt fake. And her eyes. She swore she saw them glowing. "Does it really matter what the situation is, mister officer?" The mall officer looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Putting aside the harassment she was giving the poor guy trying to make a living, she was threatening a minor with her Ability. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that be considered attempted assault? Especially a severe one, since someone was going to use their Ability?"

The woman looked at Erica with glaring eyes, teeth gnashed together. John could swear he heard them starting to crack beneath the pressure she was putting on them. "Y-you! I did no such thing!"

"Oh, bullshit. We both saw you threatening John just now." Erica retorted coolly. "And I'm willing to bet the crowd of people you drew in with your racket will say the same thing." The woman's eyes widened as she looked around. True enough, there was a sizable group gathered around them, looking on as if having witnessed a car wreck. The model smirked and then looked back at the officer. "Your problem with the vendor aside, shouldn't this woman be arrested for attempted assault with her Ability? Or at the very least, questioned?"

"You're absolutely right, miss." The officer nodded, his eyes glazed over slightly. He then grabbed the culprit by the arm. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me ma'am."

"Wha-?! Unhand me!" She struggled, but his grip was like iron.

"No can do. Not only were you disturbing the peace by attempting to use your ability in public like this, but you attempted to assault a minor with it just for trying to stop you. Please don't make this any worse for yourself." He then gave the vendor another glare. "I'll let you off the hook this time, but if I catch you here again...!"

"Y-yes, sir..." the vendor nodded dumbly. The mall officer grunted before he pulled the woman away, who was struggling to break free, obviously still feeling as if she were in the right. Shortly afterwards, the vendor sighed and reclined in his chair. "Whew... Saved by the bullet this time." He looked up at the three and smiled. "Thanks. Normally that guy's a real hardass. Half expected him to try and make me give her a refund. And sorry you three got mixed up in all that."

"It's fine. That woman was acting like a hardass. You looked like you needed some help. No big deal." John shrugged.

"Well, I appreciate what you all did for me. As thanks, how about I give you three readings? Free of charge." He offered as he gestured to the sign next to him. "If your reading is high enough, you get a free prize. What do you say?"

John naturally declined, holding up his hands. "I'm fine, dude. I'm a Cripple. I know my reading."

"Whoa, really? Damn. You've got guts." the vendor said with wide eyes, impressed by his willingness to stand up to someone like that woman earlier, despite being "normal". "How 'bout you two?"

"Nah, I'm good." Erica shrugged. "I already had my Ability measured about a few weeks ago. Sorry to disappoint. How 'bout you, Sera?"

"Sure." the girl shrugged as she extended a hand. "Not like it'll hurt or anything."

"Alright, let's get started then."

* * *

"Smart move." Drake hummed. "So, he the one?"

"Based on the phone information out Tenshi obtained, yes. Physical description and demeanor fit perfectly." Clay answered as they hid from view behind a pillar.

"Perfect. Once they're all done, we'll move in. Gotta say, Erica using the officer to arrest that lunatic was a nice touch."

"It was quite obvious she would, given how she was threatening John." Clay responded with disinterest. "That being said... If I had been in her position, I would have separated her arm from her torso. There is such a thing as personal space."

"She looked pretty violent to me." the other teen responded before he went back to watching the scene play out. The vendor's eyes glowed as a soft aura circled around his and Seraphina's hand. After a minute or so, however, the vendor had a look of surprise, smiling before handing her a small stuffed bear toy. "A teddy bear...? Yo, Clay! How much you wanna bet something's in that thing?"

"I'll have Erica look into it. With her Ability, even someone like the Ace of Wellston can't resist. I imagine John would disapprove, though." Clay said as he stood up, tugging at his gloves. "Alternatively, we can go in and ask the man himself. Since the Boss appointed you field leader for this task, what do you suggest?"

Drake folded his arms, tilting his head. What would be the best course of action? Assuming they were wrong and this guy was innocent, the poor bastard was going to be scarred for life. Their interrogation technique was not exactly the most pleasant. Erica using her Ability to look into the bear seemed to be the safest bet.

...but then again, their target was already in sight. It would be a shame if they just let him go without giving him a proper greeting. "Let's head on in." he decided with a wicked smile. "How should we do this? I drain him and you make sure he doesn't squeal while you chop off a limb while nobody looks? Or just go right for the usual?"

"The first option is the safest this time around. There are too many witnesses for the second method."

"Then let's go. They're leaving now." He pointed out to see Erica, John, and Seraphina leave the booth. Due to the commotion earlier, there was no one else in line.

The two males approached the vendor, who was surprised by Clay's attire. "C-Can I help you two?"

"If you can, yeah." Drake put on a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "And sorry about my friend's looks. He's a major germophobe. Guy can't set one foot outside his apartment without freaking out about how dirty everything is. You can read a person's Ability, right?"

"Yeah. I was just about ready to close up shop, but I have enough time for one more." the vendor nodded. "Want me to measure your ability?"

"Sure. Have at it, boss." Drake held out his hand, which the vendor took. "By the way, you mind if I ask ya a question while you work?"

"What is it?"

"...how many people did you kill, using this method?"

The vendor's eyes widened in alarm as he looked up at his client, no longer sporting a smile of any kind. Drake's expression was one of cold indifference. "Wh-what did you say...?"

"You heard him right." Clay interjected. "Measuring random strangers powers and giving them a prize if their strong enough? Seems awfully biased toward the stronger tiers of society. Especially if the prize is a simple teddie bear they can get at the toy store cheaper than your prices. But then again, as cute as the bear is, a cheap, harmless stuffed toy would be a good hiding place for a tracker to keep tabs on them, correct?"

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to end the conversation. "If you'll excuse me-" but before he could pull away, Drake had him in an iron grip as his eyes glowed. The vendor could feel his energy gradually slip away.

"Ah-ah-ah...it's rude to leave a conversation unfinished. But given how you reacted, my friends questions must be on the mark. Now, let me ask another before you answer my first. Who are you working for? EMBER? Or NXGen? And don't bother screaming...I doubt you have the energy to do so anyway..."

"I-I don't-"

Clay walked over, sliding behind the table and grabbed his shin. His eyes glowed. In the next second, the vendor felt the weight on his leg suddenly lessen. Looking down, his eyes widened in horror, now suddenly finding his leg now on the ground, and what was left was reduced to something as meager as a stump. However, there was no blood. In fact, it didn't even look as if it had been severed.

"My ability comes quite in handy for things as mundane as this." Clay said, his voice low. "Oh, and if your limb is separated from your body for a certain period of time, I can't re-attach it. At best, you have maybe four, five minutes. So talk. But talk quietly."

"O-o-okay!" the vendor whimpered. "I-I'll talk. I'm the biggest coward you've ever met!"

"Hm. That's quite a claim."

"It's true! I-I've already wet my pants!"

Clay's eyebrow twitched, now tempted to separate the man from his lower torso. Drake, however, snickered. "Congrats. You made it into the top ten." he said sarcastically. "Now start talking. Who do you work for? Why target high-tiers? If it were NXGen, I imagine it would be for research, but EMBER isn't outside of the realm of possibility. It would be best to nip any odds of powerful high-tiers going vigilante in the bud, am I right? So, let's hear it, my man. Who do you work for?"

"B-both!" Clay and Drake looked at one another before they looked at one another in confusion before they turned back to the vendor, who was trembling. "S-some of the higher ups at NXGen made a deal with E-EMBER. I-in exchange for helping them f-fund their research, t-they f-field test their products when they g-go after someone! T-that's all I know! I swear!"

"Somehow, I don't believe you. You know, rather than worry about missing a limb, you should be worried about your health." Drake told him with a sadistic look in his eyes. "At the rate this is going, you'll be drained of all your life energy before your leg is permanently separated."

The vendor's eyes widened in panic. "O-only a few people in NXGen k-know about the deal! All the others are-are locked out of the loop. They just w-work on their projects w-without anyone else knowing."

"And how does all this tie in to individual's abilities being hampered or dampened to the point where they're Cripples?"

"I-it's part of what we got from NXGen! Not all of us are high tiers! We can't go after vigilantes on our own, so we were given stuff to weaken their abilities!"

"So you do have means of suppressing their powers. Good to know. That explains why all those high tiers were killed off so easily by you cowards. But for what end? I can get EMBER for targeting vigilantes, but what does NXGen profit from this?"

"D-Data! They get data of how their stuff works and use that for their ability research! That's all I know, I swear!"

Drake looked at Clay. "What do you think?"

"...he's telling the truth." he said after a moment. The vendor breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Drake let go of his hand. He felt so weak. "So, how do you want to handle the 'other' problem?"

Wait, what?

"Well, except for you, he's seen my face." Drake sighed, running a hand through his head. "Only downside to all this, really. But, hey. Who's gonna miss a piece of shit like this?"

Clay hummed in agreement while the vendor immediately panicked. He tried to pull away, even though he only had one leg, but the masked teen was faster. His hand ran across his neck. In the next moment, he felt the world suddenly become twisted. The view changed. Suddenly, he was on the ground, but he felt so weightless.

"W-what?" he gasped. Why was it so hard to breathe all of a sudden?

"Fucking hell." Drake grimaced. "I never get used to that."

"Really? This is what disturbs you? On a normal basis, you drain your targets of life energy until they're unconscious or dead. And your definition of fun is to beat them with a baseball bat when they're down."

"Yeah. But mines fun. Yours is kinda gross. Look at him gasping."

"What do you expect? I separated his head from his body, after all."

The vendor's eyes widened.

"Actually, now that you bring that up, how the fuck is he still breathing? Doesn't decapitation usually end with you dying seconds later? He's still kicking."

"I restructured his head so that his brain can still function for a few minutes at most. While has no lungs or heart to pump oxygenated blood into it, he's not bleeding out. So he has more time to remain conscious and aware."

"Damn dude...you're scary."

"Well as Death, it comes with the title. But enough goofing off. We need to clean up. Erica won't keep everyone away and hypnotized forever."

The vendor saw the two leering down at him. If he could he would have gulped. "P-please..."

"Ah, shut it. You brought this on yourself."

* * *

"I'm so sorry!"

"Erica, seriously. It's fine."

"B-but I ruined your bear!"

"It's a cheap bear. Besides, it's not really my sort of thing anyway."

John stared as the two girls went back and forth. After leaving the mall, Erica asked Sera if she could see the bear. And not even ten seconds after holding it, she tripped and the stuffed animal flew out of her hands and landed in the middle of the road...where it was promptly run over by several speeding cars.

It was now promptly roadkill.

Now he was watching his old friend apologize to his new friend over and over.

"C'mon, Erica..." John laughed nervously. He had never seen her like this before. It was rather strange to see, honestly. "It was an accident. Besides, like Seraphina said, it wasn't really that big of a thing anyway."

"B-but..."

"I said it fine. Seriously. Don't worry about it. I was probably gonna give it to Remi or my room mate anyway." Seraphina added. Then again, she was fairly sure Elaine would find it in bad taste. Girl had a picky taste in "cute." Remi, on the other hand, would accept it in a heartbeat if it had a thunderbolt symbol somewhere on its presence. "So you can stop with the waterworks. If you do, I'll treat you and John to some food back at my place."

Erica promptly cheered while John's eyes widened. "Your place?" he asked, suddenly finding his throat dry. "Isn't your roommate Elaine?"

"Yeah, she is. Why are you... Oh." Seraphina's eyes widened, then promptly slapped herself in the face. She should have remembered that her friend hadn't exactly held John in the best of regards. Low-tiers were tolerable to her, as she even treated a few of them with respect. John, however, wasn't worth a modicum of respect in her eyes, as he didn't possess any power whatsoever. "Crap, that's right. Sorry."

"It-it's fine." John waved a hand in dismissal. "Why don't you treat Erica? Might make for some great bonding between you two. After all, you got to know Drake."

"Are you sure, John?"

"I'm sure."

Erica sighed. "And there you go, acting like a third wheel." she said, palming her forehead. "Why must you be so hard to deal with? You do realize its because of your thick skull that you can't find a girlfriend, right?" John spluttered, face turning red. She ignored his reaction and instead cast a glance at Seraphina, who tilted her head. "Actually, let me rephrase that. How in the world have you two not hooked up yet? I mean, really, Sera's a knockout. Ten out of ten."

"E-Erica! Can you please stop?!"

"What? I'm just stating facts here!"

"...you do realize the 'knockout' is standing right here, right?" Seraphina asked, finding herself slightly annoyed.

"Oh, I'm well aware. Just wanted to make it obvious to the boy that's as dense as osmium over here." She snaked an arm around John and began to pull his cheeks again.

"Stahp Thahd!"

Erica then let go of his cheeks, leaving him to tend to them again. "But I'll have to pass on the invite. I'm still in the process of moving all my crap to our new place."

"That's a shame." Seraphina said apologetically. She really wanted to get to know the girl more. Especially after all the juicy stories she told her about John. "See you later, then."

"Sure thing!"

The two then watched Seraphina leave, her back vanishing into the distance. Once she was out of sight, John, being the gentlemen he'd like to think he was, offered to escort Erica back home, much to her delight.

That being said, however, there was another reason behind this.

"...hey, Erica."

"What's up, Johnny?" Erica turned around, walking backwards with her hands clasped behind her back and a cheshire grin present. "Thinking about asking me for advice on how to ask Seraphina on a date?"

His cheeks flushed, but he shook his head. Now was hardly the time for teasing. He sucked in a breath, trying his best to compose himself. "...do you remember that gift you gave me, back on the day when I learned how to use my Ability? When you gave it to me, you and the guys said that you were going to change the world."

"We were. Why'd you ask?"

"Seraphina told me last night about how there was a group who took down Royals from several schools all at once. One of which being the Queen of New Bostin." he said. Erica was still smiling, but the way she smiled had changed subtly. Enough for him to notice, and confirm his suspicions. Even so, he continued. "And that the guy who did it was wearing a jacket with a scale on it."

"Come on, John. Don't beat around the bush." Erica waved a finger at him. "Just ask me the question: Are we the Black Royals? The Aces of Spade? Well, to answer your question..."

Her smile widened, revealing her sharp canines.

"...yes. We are."

"...why?"

"...Is that it? You got your answer, and that is all you can ask? Why we're doing this? Why we gave you that jacket?" She questioned him. He could only nod.

"Hm, where should I start..." She hummed. "How about long ago...even before we met. None of us had abilities when we were young. We were late bloomers. And the others reminded us of our powerlessness everyday. At a young age, we saw the ugly side of this world. Beaten. Bullied. Trampled. All because we didn't have the power to stand up for ourselves. I'm sure you know this quite well. During our lowest moments, we all lost something because of the way this world is. And there was nothing we could do. What we lost would never come back. And those bastards kept laughing from their high horses while we suffered.

She shook her head, letting the memories sink in. Her hands were balled to fists as they replayed.

"But then everything changed the day we got our powers. We were being bullied and abused as usual, but then we finally snapped. And you know what they say about a cornered animal...those bastards got what they deserved.

"But I can honestly say that the best part...was that we found kindred spirits with one another."

"You mean me, Clay and Drake."

Erica nodded. "That's right. But it was more than that, John. We didn't just find each other. We found our purpose. Tell me, when you first got your powers, didn't you ever once think about how screwed up things were? How people with stronger powers constantly looked down at others? Why nobody ever seemed to step in whenever things got too dangerous? Did you ever stop to think about why people never made rules about how people use their Abilities out in public, or in school?"

"W-wait, hold on a second." John raised his hands. "Erica, what're you saying? What the hell did you and the guys get involved in?"

'What were you trying to get me involved in?' he wanted to ask, remembering the jacket he was given. Instead, he remained silent.

Erica sighed, and shook her head. "I can't tell you. At least, not yet." she said, making him frown. "Oh, don't give me that look, Johnny. There's a lot of stuff I'd rather prefer you not know about right now." She then turned on her heel, slipping her hands into her pockets. "Anyway, I really do need to get going. I'll see you again soon enough at Wellston with Drake. Clay'll also be transferring, though because of his own job, he won't be here until the next month or so."

"Erica..."

"Before I go, there's something I want to ask you." She looked over her shoulder briefly. "Does Seraphina know...that you're not a Cripple? More importantly, does she know that you used to go to New Bostin?" John's expression blanched as he back pedaled half a step. He didn't say anything, but his reaction was all Erica needed. "I see. So you haven't. I would be careful, John. Even though your dad covered things up...rumors can be a scary thing when the wrong people are involved."

With her warning delivered, Erica walked away, leaving John to stew on her words. He knew she had a point. The past couldn't be covered up forever.

Even so...

_'Monster.'_

He bit his lip and stared at the ground, knuckles white. "If only it were easy to tell people, big sis..."

* * *

"Don't you think that was kind of cold?" Drake asked Erica after they met up. Unbeknownst to John, he and Clay had been watching the whole exchange from a safe distance and eavesdropped on the conversation. While the former was a bit miffed that Erica had given him a few details already, he could understand her concerns about him. "I mean, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were trying to, you know..."

Erica shook her head, her face pained. "Believe me, Drake, I didn't like saying what I did either. But John needs to understand something. Just because the school covered up what he did, doesn't mean others have forgotten. Bloody Mary made it clear to us that there's a lot of people who want a bit of payback. If even one of them finds out that John's at Wellston, and that he's pretending to be a Cripple, idiotic decision aside..."

"Then the life he's tried to build will come crashing down." Clay finished, closing his eyes. "The school will look at him with fear, rather than condescending arrogance. People will try to challenge him to bring him down. And worse case scenario, he'll lose Seraphina."

"Even so, you could've dialed back the ice queen routine." Drake shook his head. "But whatever. Did you get rid of the tracker?"

"Please, who do you take me for?" Erica wrinkled her nose. "And how about you? Did you guys finish up on your end?"

Clay nodded. "It seems EMBER has a deal with certain people at NXGen. If my guess is right, this 'experimental project' of theirs that they tried to steal is why people's powers are hampered to the point of being Crippled. However, the company itself isn't fully involved, but they are making bank off of what EMBER is doing. Quite ironic, don't you think?"

"Shit." Erica grimaced. "That is bad. What do we do?"

"We do nothing. We leave it to the Tenshi. For now, we continue the job the Boss gave us. Shape John Doe into War." the masked teen answered. "And speaking of our little brother, Erica, you are not allowed to use your Ability while at Wellston, unless it is for self-defense."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because the last thing we need is for you to hypnotize the whole school into doing something stupid. I'd like to believe you wouldn't force everyone to go kill themselves, but my point still stands. We're trying to find potential recruits and keep a low profile. Drake's already integrated himself into the school and made people believe he's a low-tier. You could probably pass your Ability off as Suggestion, or a mild form of hypnosis."

"Tch. Fine!" Erica snapped. "But if John's in trouble, the gloves come off. No butts."

"That is perfectly fine. Just as long as you don't stand out too much. The last thing we need is too much attention. And given how your ability is essentially hijacking a person's body through the nervous system as well as their mind...yeah, you would stick out like a sore thumb."

12h agoErica stuck out a tongue at the two and proceeded to blow a raspberry. "Whatever."

"At any rate, let's go report this to the boss."

* * *

The man couldn't remember the last time he came to the graveyard. Unlike before, however, there was not a rain cloud in sight. Rather, it was sunset, almost close to nightfall, creating a beautiful scene that put his mind at ease for a short time. The grass crunched beneath his shoes softly as he walked over to his brother's grave, which hadn't worn out in the least. There were a few chips, here and there, but otherwise it looked like it had been cleaned recently.

It was a sight that pleased him, given that he instructed close subordinates to maintain it.

He would be damned if he let anyone desecrate his brother's grave. He lowered down to his knees and pressed a hand on the stone surface, cool to the touch.

"It's been a while, little brother... I think the last time I came to see you was when I made you that promise, wasn't it? It feels like so long ago..." In reality, it could've been so long ago. Time has been something of a triviality to him nowadays. But even so, he should've costed more often. "But that's in the past. Things are finally looking up, brother." he said, a thin smile touching his parched lips. In the years since he last came here, he developed a sizable beard that covered the lower half of his face, curling around his upper lip and crawling up the sides of his face. His hair had grown longer as well, now reaching to the shoulderblades. "It will be a long while before the dream comes to pass, but we've made progress. It's thanks to those young men and women who stand by my side."

"They understand that this society is so rotten. They have the drive to change it where no one is trampled upon again. And they have the power to do so. I just wish you could've met them. You would've liked them...how far they would go for one of their own."

His hand gently traced the carved name of the tombstone, a somber smile touching his face as he lowered his head. "I promise you, my little brother... This world will learn its hypocrisy. And when it does, we will be there to rebuild it." he swore. "A world where you can find peace. A world where no one would have to suffer like you did. That is a promise."

He set down the flowers on the grave.

"...this world will know  _Revelation_."

The man stood, and with a bow of respect and grief, turned to walk away, eyes glowing just as fiercely as they had before the last time he came to see him.

* * *

_Shadows danced together, weaving to make a painting of horrid brilliance. Before her eyes were four teens her age, each wearing black jackets. And each with a symbol and power._

_The one bearing the scales stood amid piles of bodies, either dead or groaning in pain while their lives drained away, flowing into him as he drank greedily, the shadow of death looming over him like the grim reaper._

_The one bearing the crown and bow watched from atop her makeshift throne as men drove themselves into madness, fighting against each other with soulless eyes, like puppets commanded by the maestro. Death itself commanded them to move. And move they shall until their dying breath._

_The one bearing the sword that pierced the bloody earth fought like a man possessed against countless foes, a black aura dancing around him that was constantly changing shapes. His hands became claws, commanding ferocious winds, time his mistress and thunder his hammer as he laid waste to all opposition._

_The one bearing the scythe stood alone while bodies were scattered around him, all dismembered. Not a drop of blood stained the ground, however. Worse still, the man held a skull in his hand, as if gazing at it, before he crushed it._

_The shadows dispersed, and wove together again to form a new image. Fire danced all around her while two men stood across from one another. One a man in white, tugging at the collar of his suit while the other cracked his fingers, darkness shrouding his form. A moment passed before they struck one another._

_And then the shadows consumed her._

With a gasp, the poor girl threw herself up from her bed, sweat caking her skin and struggling to breath.

She breathed heavily as she tried to slow down her heart rate. once it returned to normal, she got out of bed and walked over to the window, unable to fall asleep anymore. She rested her head against the cool glass as her red eyes gazed out into the darkened city below.

That wasn't just a nightmare she had. It was another vision. One even more horrific than the last.

But, what did it all mean? Who were those people? And more importantly...

"Why was John among them?"

For the first time in a very long while, Claire had no answers...

-END-


End file.
